Like a Kid in a Candy Store: Stage Line Makeup

Or… How to get a great makeup application look with Stage Line Makeup!

As some of you might be preparing for the week ahead, Valentine’s Day, or even looking forward to another weekend, it might or might not cross your mind to think of makeup application. After all, that is the least of our worries – luckily enough, right? Why should we be bothered or be too fastidious about makeup? It is rather superficial, one might say, because it is literally used to cover our facial surfaces… and yet, makeup provides me with an ‘armour’ with which I feel awake at any hour of the day, whether I have to wake up early for work, or go out for dinner. Sometimes I am not in the mood, but whilst applying makeup, I realise that it is, after all, a very calming and enjoyable process. I put on some music from my Spotify playlist, prepare the ‘tools’ I need, and whenever there is the opportunity, try out some new products. The latter bring something to the makeup table, something akin to taking a kid to the proverbial candy store. It must be in the colours or even the packaging, but every time I have fresh makeup from a brand like Stage Line, I feel energised and excited. As you can see in the flatlay, these are the latest products I have tried out and been doing so for the last few weeks (before Christmas). Somehow they complete a look when used together, as I can easily create a makeup look with the following items: foundation, eyeliner, and lipstick.

Here are my views on the products above…

Starting off with the base, I now find myself daily reaching for this long-lasting foundation. What do I love about it? It is lightweight yet smooth and rich, it is not too heavy but gives the skin enough of a boost and a shine in the morning. It has helped balance out the dryness brought on by cold weather thanks to hyaluronic acid. Despite the rays not being as strong as the summer, it is still advisable to have an SPF factor, so I am glad that it has a sunscreen factor too. It smells and feels gorgeous, and always allows my skin to breath, so on application it does not get cake at all. Surprisingly enough, for its light texture, it stays on all day (when I go to they gym after work and then cleanse my face after the session, it is still there!). What don’t I like about it? Every time I pick it up, I dread that it is coming to its end because even the packaging feels light – but that is a good thing, especially for travelling. Verdict: 9.5/10

Next up is the eyeliner. I chose the dark brown hue, but there are other interesting colours which I would love to try out (purple and blue – these would be quite unusual, wouldn’t you say?). What do I love about it? The pot is like any other, which means that you get a lot of product that comes sealed off with a strong lid and the packaging is quite solid. It is creamy too but not at all runny. In reality it is the brush that is important – an angled one is best for applying eyeliner like this. Despite it being more seemingly complicated to apply than a pencil eyeliner, I have now got used to this format and texture of eyeliner. The Stage Line eyeliner specifically is one of my favourites because it does not smudge, it is long-lasting (even after the gym), and the brown hue looks less strong for a daytime look than black would. Sometimes, I do not even put on eyeshadow because the eyeliner is enough. What don’t I like about it? Like any other pot, it is sometimes difficult to angle the brush in without scooping too much colour, but I wipe the residue for a smooth application on the rim anyway. Apart from that, I am extremely pleased with it, even though the dark brown sometimes looks like black (but that is maybe because of my pale skin colour). Verdict: 9/10

The third item(s) up for review are the lipsticks. One of my favourite lipsticks is definitely an older Stage Line one (probably last year’s collection, so not that old), so this comes as no surprise that I chose the red lipstick from the new collection. Additionally, I tried out the nude-like pink-toned lipstick. Out of the two, I must say I prefer the red, but it is always a good idea to have neutral shades for a barely there look. There are instances when it is preferable to have a lighter shade of lipstick. What do I love about them? They are both matte and have a rich texture overall. The red hue is lighter than the one I had last year but I can say that the new one is a better option if I do not want to go for a very strong red lip. The skin-colour lipstick is perfect for morning makeup looks and for work, because reapplying it is easy. What don’t I like about them? They are matte which I sometimes prefer to the shinier type of lipsticks, so really, I cannot think of anything that I can critique in them, except maybe the fact that the neutral shade is a bit too pale. Verdict: 9/10

The penultimate product is the shiner, perfect for the highlight effect. What do I love about it? It can also be sneakily added to eyeshadow for that extra touch of glamour. It comes in a minuscule pot, which makes it the ideal size for travelling. However, it adds a lot of punch to it in terms of quantity – you do not really need much anyway. In the first photo (of my makeup application, so the penultimate photo), I used it to embellish my eyeshadow and I can say that this extra shine on the eyelids is something I was pleasantly surprised with because it did not run or smudge, or in any way affected the eyeshadow. In the second (and last) photo, I used it as a highlighter in between the eyes and cheeks. I had to blend it in a bit more though, because it can be a bit shiny! What don’t I like about it? It feels less liquidy to the touch than other highlighters, so I prefer applying it with a brush and then smoothing it over with the blending sponge or another fixing brush. It does come in a small pot, as mentioned, so I still have to see how long it lasts. Verdict: 9/10

Finally, the surprise product: the powder fixer, perfect seal, which can be used to augment (powder) eyeshadows and hence prevent them from cracking. What do I love about it? It comes in the form of a pipette so you extract a drop and squeeze it onto eyeshadow powder. Ideally, you have some palette (like that of artists) so that you can place some eyeshadow product and then drip drop the fixer into it. Once you mix, the eyeshadow suddenly becomes pigmented and really strong, it almost changes its consistency so when it is applied. In other words, the powder fixer gives life and adds vibrant colour to eyeshadows. It makes for some fun experimentation too. What don’t I like about this? Given that I had not come across something like it, I think that it is quite a simple but innovative product that can make makeup application definitely more fun, even if a bit tricky until one becomes accustomed with how to use it. It surely is not advisable to use when one is in a hurry! Verdict: 9.5/10

Disclaimer: the beauty products were generously provided / gifted by Sharon Warrington, owner and principal of The International School of Beauty Therapy; however, the review and opinions are exclusively my own, because it is the remit of this blog to be honest and transparent so as not to mislead the reader in any way.